The present invention relates generally to boat railings and, more particularly, to an improved connector internally threaded into each stanchion and into an insert within the generally horizontal rail for providing adjustable movement for the base of each stanchion before being connected to the surface of the boat.
Although alternative means for connecting boat railings and stanchions have been disclosed, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,024, granted on Sept. 25, 1962, to Gerbase G. Schmitt; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,228, granted on July 6, 1965; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,558, granted on Feb. 25, 1969, boat railings are typically generally unitary welded structures manufactured at a location remote from the manufacture of the boat and installed on the boat surface after manufacture is complete. Since the stanchions are typically disposed at an acute angle to the generally horizontal railing and are fixed relative thereto, such as by welding, the base of each stanchion must be positioned to match the corresponding surface of the boat before being fixed or welded to the rail. As a result, any variations in the manufacturing of the slope of the surface of the boat to which the base of the stanchion is to be attached results in an inexact fit between the base and the boat when the railing is installed.
Furthermore, an entire railing is generally fabricated for each particular boat on a custom basis, with the bases of the stanchions prefixed to match the particular boat to which it is to be installed. Accordingly, shipping and storage of such structures becomes a cumbersome and space consuming task. It would be desirable to provide a boat railing that would be capable of greater flexibility in use, require less storage space and create less problems in shipping from one location to another.
Asthetically, it is preferable that the boat railing have a clean, sleek look that can be provided by the welding process. This unitary look cannot be provided with railing connectors such as seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,024. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a boat railing that would permit adjustment of the position of the base of the stanchions before being fixed to the boat surface, in addition to solving the above-noted problems, while having a clean, unitary look and being able to be securely and tightly fastened to the boat.